The present invention relates in general to a system, a method and device, for the production of three dimensional (3D) components of various materials (e.g. honeycomb, etc.), where material waste is minimized and part programs are automatically generated.
Existing five axis machines are used to produce 3D components, where part programs for single parts are generated with the help of CAD/NC systems. Those five axis machines use the technique of milling to process the surface of the part. Depending on the size of the head and the tool size, material waste is great until one single part at a time is finished.
If two dimensional (2D) parts must be finished, the usage of cutters (laser, waterjet, mechanical knife, ultrasonic cutting) or punching machines, together with nesting systems (a software which is used to calculate the optimal position and rotation of every part to maximize material utilization) for the automatic creation of part programs is well known.
While the technical and economic question to produce a given number of 2D parts with a minimum amount of material is fully answered, the question of the production of several three dimensional parts with optimal material utilization in an automated way is not answered yet.